Combined window shade and shutter.



M. J. SMITH.

COMBINED WINDOW SHADE AND SHUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1913.

1,095,292, Patented May 5, 1914.

mi E- memberWhich,,when the blades thereof are Be it known that I,-MAn'rIN J. SMITH,"

ATENroFmoE.

MARTIN JAMES SMITH, OF- BROCKTON, MAssA'oHusnT'rs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

CO BIN D wmnow SHADE AND'SHUTTER.

Patented May 5, 1914..

To all wlwmz't may concern:

residing Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and Improved Combined \Vindow Shade and Shutter, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention has for its purpose to provide an improved constructionof window shade-device in which the several arts are so designed andcoiiperatively connected Whereby'the same, under one adjustment, servesas an ordinary window shade, and under another adjustment is adapted forforn'iing: "-'a substantially solid closure "of metal, serves-as afire-proof shutter.

My inventionalso embodies a combined.

blindand "shutter construction, in which the blades are arrangedvertically and adapted for being drawntogether like a bellows, animproved eoiipera'tive arrangement of supporting means on the windowframe or casing including sub-frames uponwhich the entire shutter andblind mechanisms are mounted, and other means for holding the severalblades relatively uniformly spaced apart,.and still further means foractuating the several blades for moving them while held projected .totheir open position, to thereby cause vvthem to fold upon each other andto one side of the window casing; other devices mounted upon the window,frame being also provided for swinging the several blades to close uponand lap each other to-thereby provide, as it were, a solid shutter body,adapted for being held locked to itssaid closed position.

In its more complete nature, my invention consists of a combined shadeand shutter means thatembodies the pecul ar construction and novelarrangement of the .Figure l is a perspective viewof a window equippedwith my improved combined shade and shutter, the shade and shutter devices for the upper sash being shown an. justed as a fire-proof shutter,and the like devices for thelower sash-being shown ad-- justed as ashade, the vanes of blades being at their mostwidely separatedposltlons. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of Application filedNovember 20, 1913. Serial notaoao'z'a.

the window frame with my improvements applied, the several bladesor-vanes being shown as drawn back to a closed up position. -Fig. 3isa'zperspec'tive' view of the upper ends of one set of vanes or blades,the-supporting rod therefor, the rod holders and the flexible jorchainconnections that join the front and the-'backedges of the said upperends ofthewanes. Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview-of; one of the vanes, withthe guide rings at the upper and lower ends thereof. Fig. 5 is'a detailsectional view of one of the guide rings andiitshinged connection withfhe- Y bIa dcf or vane. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective-view of one ofthe rod holders, the gravity drop for-latch member thereof beingat its.1 'odj holding posit-ion. Fig. 7 is a silnilzar lview,thesaid latchmembeg being shown 'swungflup Yto releasethe ro 1 In the drawing, I'haveshown a window frame with an .upper and-a: lower sash, and each sashequipped with any-improved combined shade and shutter attachment.

The same numerals indicate like parts in the upper and lower.iattac-hnients and since the construction of the said two attachmentsand the manner of-operatingthe same are alike, I shall describe butfoneofthe said attachments ind'etail In carryingfout myfinvention, mycombined shutter and windowTshade comprises a series of. verticallydisposed blades or vanes 1, and they are connected with each "other bysmall chains-20,.at the top and the bottom, and at thffront and rearedges thereof, and the "said leaves are of such width and are spacedapart from each other a distance slightly less than the width of theblades, to thereby allow the several leaves orblades to lapupon eachother when they are turned to their fiatWise position, (see Fig 1) tothereby form as it were, a solid body'for serving as a fire shutter,when the blades are made of metal.

Each blade or leaf 1, at the top and bottom of its backedge, carries aring 2 and- .the said rings. are hlngedly connected to the moving thesame, as desired and to that end, I use two cross rodsor bars 3, one ofsuch rods formin a hanger and guide for the lower ends 0 the b ades orleaves 1, and the other, a hanger and guide for the upper ends of thesai blades, since the u per and lower rings 2-2 are loosely he d 'ontheir respective guide. and supporting rods, in the manner best shown in1g. 5.

For quickly attaching to, or removing the rods from the window casing, Ihave provided the supporting device shown in detail in Figs. 6 and 7,one of such devices being employed for each end of the hangerpr guiderods 3. The said supporting devlce comprises a ban er bearing 4, theupper and lower ends 0 which are apertured as at 40 for receiving theattaching screws 41 while the body portion proper 42, is bent outwardlyto a substantially fl-shape, to thereby project the hanger portion 43,

roper, inwardly and away from the windew frame or casing when the saidbearing 4 is applied for use. The hanger portion 43 of the member 4 hasa vertically elongated slot 45 that opens through the lower end 46 ofthe hanger 4.

By referring now more particularly to Figs. 6 and 7, it will be seenthat each device 4 includes a ban er hook 5 that is pivotally sus endedover t e outer face of the bracket or anger portions 43. Hook 5, thegeneral sha e of which is best shown in Figs. 6 an 7, is pivotallysupported at a point directly above the slot 45 in the hanger 4 and theweight of the body thereof is so distributed that the said hook normallyswings downwardly by its own gravity, so that its front or claw-like end'55 passes over the slot 45 (see Fig. 6). The upper. and lower edges ofthe claw-like end 55 of the hook 5 are curved eccentrically to the pivotof the hook, the reason for which will presently appear and thecurvature of the said under edge of the hook and the heel or weightedportion 50, are relatively such that to release the hook from the bar itis only necessary to press against the said heel end 50 in the directionindicated in Fig. 7, to cause it to swing outwardly away from under thebar from the hanger bracket.

By reason of forming'the hangers 4 in the manner shown and described,and making the rods 3 of a length slightly greater than the distancebetween each opposing pair of the said devices, it is apparent, fromFigs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, that in applying my improved combinedshutter and blind appliance, it is only necessary to press the ends ofthe cross rods 3 up against the hooks 5, which, under such pressure,swing out to uncover the entrance of the slots in the brackets 4, itbeing also clear that sosoon as the ends of the rods pass up over theclaw end of the hooks, the latter return to their normal position bygravity, close ofi' the slots and form hangers on which the rods arethen supported.

The peculiar construction of the hanger allows a rod to slide into theslot from the bottom of the hanger upward and when pivoted in place theswin ing or gravit book 5 drops in place and t ereby holds t 1e rod insuch posltion that it resists pressure on all sides and so closed uponthat it cannot bounce or jump out when pushed in anydirection.

6 designates a ull cord or cablethat hangs pendently on t e windowcasing, passes through uide eyes 60, and then passes through afi of theupper rings 2, and is made fast to the outermost one of the leaves orblades 1. Bypulling on the cord 6, the outermost one of the leaves orblades is first pulled to slide inwardly on the guide rods 3 until itengages the next leaf or blade gathers against the said blade andadditional ones or all of the other blades when it is desired to fold upthe leaves or blades to give full clearance to the Window, as shown inFig. 2, it being obvious that since the blades or leaves are flexiblyconnected at the upper and lower edges the said leaves successively foldup against or are pulled out from each other. 7 designates another pullcord at the other side of the Window that is so guided and connectedwith the outer leaf of the set of leaves or blades, so that in pullingon the said cord 7, the leaves are drawn out to their opened osition.

For swinging the blades on their pivots to partly or wholly close overeach other, pull cords 8 are located at each side of the window framethat are guided in the eyes 80 on the window casing and join, by hookand eye connections with the outer edge of the outermost and innermostones of the blades, as shown, it being apparent that by using the twoside cords 8, the leaves can be swung laterally on their pivots, ineither direction desired.

By reason of bodily supporting the blades or leaves upon an upper and alower cross rod in the manner shown and described, and providing upperand lower supports having automatically adjustable hanger hooks thatoperate as stated, the entire leaf or blade holding structure can bebodily and quickly placed in operative position, as the operator inapplying the said structure by lifting the upper cross bar up intoposition in the upper hanger devices can so hold the said structure thatthe lower cross rod simultaneously engages and moves into the hangingposition onto the lower hanger device.

By reason-of curving the upper or bearin edge of the claw-like end 55 ofthe hoo eccentrically with respect to the pivot of the said hook, asbefore stated, while the hook is held to its slot closing position byits own gravity, it cannot, under normal conditions, move from its swungdown or closing position until it is forcibly pushed backward by thepressure on the heel end thereof (see Fig. 7 it being obvious that whenpressure is thus applied to the hook, the inside bearing curvature ofthe hook will cause the bar to rise up in the slot, the said insidecurvature being also such that the bar when it is supported by the hookseats thereon in such a manner that it keeps the said hook to its springor slot closing position.

What I claim is:

1. In a window shade, up er and lower supporting brackets each inc udinga member having an opening from beneath, of upper and lower slatsupporting bars adapted to be bodily moved up into slots of said membersand gravity dropped latch devices for automatically closing said slotsand forming rest bearings for said rods and slats mounted on said suporting bars.

2. In a window sha e, the combination with the upper and lowertransverse slat bars, of bar holding fixtures each comprising a memberhaving a rod receiving slot opening from beneath, and a gravity actuatedpivoted hook member adapted to drop beneath said rods to close saidopenings and form bearings for supporting said rods, said hook membersbeing held to their slot closing position by its own gravity.

3. In a window shade, the combination with the upper and lowertransverse slat bars, of bar holding fixtures each comprising a memberhaving a rod receiving slot opening from beneath, and a gravity actuatedpivoted hook member adapted to dro beneath said rods to close saidopenings an form bearings for supporting said rods, said hook member]:being held to their lsllot closin osition y its own ravity t e up er and lower edges of the said hook being formed eccentrically with respectto the pivot of the hook.

4. In a window shade, the combination with the up er and lower suporting rods, of slat members, rings mounted on said upper and lowerrods, one On each rod for each slat member, pivotal connections betweensaid slat members and their respective rings, pull cords for moving saidslat members bodily long said rods, and flexi ble members connected withsaid slat members for moving them on their pivots to open or close thewindow opening.

5. In a Window shade, upper and lower supporting bars, slats, a ring foreach slat on each bar, a pivotal connection between the respective slatsand their respective rings, a pull cord passing through said rings andconnected to one of said slats, said pull cord having its ends pendentat the sides of the window whereby all of said slats may be bodily movedalong said rods to one side of the window frame, and flexibleconnections between the edges of said slats for spacing them apart, andmeans by which said slats may be moved on their pivot with the rings foropening or closing the window opening.

6. In combination with a shade supporting cross bar, of bar holdingfixtures each comprising a member havig a bar receiving slot openingfrom beneath, and a gravity actuated hook member adapted to drop beneaththe bar when the latter is ushed up past the said hook, the said h00member having its upper and lower bar engaging edges formedeccentrically to its pivot whereby when the said bar is held within theslotted member the said bar engages and holds the hook from swingin backand when the bar is pushed upwar ly against the said hook it swings thesaid hook back to uncover the slot.

MARTIN JAMES SMITH. Witnesses:

CHARLES F. Wmson,

WM. G. Jonas.

